Fate and circumstance
I went cycling up the Buckland Valley today. I don’t ride much in winter, but conditions were balmy today, more like September than July.
Going past the Lumsden’s dairy farm I noticed the newborn calves and pondered their existence. Never to know their dads, these little one have already been weaned from their mums.
Half of them (the girls) will have it easy. They’ll be well fed and receive proper medical care. Unless Bruce decides to raise a few vealers they will only ever have sex with a syringe, but everything else will be sweet.
The boys, on the other hand. They’ll end up in a tin of dog food. There’s something not quite right about that.
Myrtleford Saints on the charge
This entry is copied from my Campaign Diary, because I thought it was of general interest:
I went to the football in Myrtleford today and saw the Saints pummel North Albury. Living in Porepunkah it’s considered a little odd that I follow Myrtleford, rather than Bright. I have an interest in Bright football, but not to the same extent.
I attribute this to my three years as editor of the Myrtleford Times. It was hard to escape the all-pervading influence of football in that town, unless you’re a soccer person! I also think it’s great for the Alpine Shire that we have a team in the Ovens and Murray League, arguably the premier country competition in Australia.
I served two years on the Myrtleford board. My duties were writing match reports, writing the weekly Critic column and recording stats on game day. I enjoyed the hype leading up to our grand final appearance in 2002. Read more
Multiculturalism and the London bombings
It’s politically incorrect to question multiculturalism. I don’t worry about that, but I recognise that we can’t turn back the clock and change what’s occurred over several decades.
I do think it’s reasonable though to ponder if current tensions in Australia, and more particularly in Britain, would exist if our demographic composition had remained as it was before the Second World War.
It’s a fact that ethnic and religious rivalries exist. We can’t change that. We hope that when people come to a new country for a better life they adopt our ways and leave their prejudices behind. Most do, but many don’t. Read more
Account closure?
I think I may have settled the long-running $99 account saga involving Melbourne IT and Web Central referred to here.
Web Central replied to my email and suggested I ring Melbourne IT. After spending 40 minutes on the phone and speaking to three different people, I was asked to send them an email, which I’ve now done.
The voice on the phone assured me the account would be closed and I would receive no more invoices, or if I did to "disregard" it.
There’s obviously been a stuff-up somewhere between the provider and a subsidiary, but nobody has admitted it and they’re not apologising. Still, I’ll be happy if that’s the end of the matter.
I hope my Alpine Web clients are reading this! I may not be available immediately when they ring, but I’d never keep someone waiting on the phone for 40 minutes.
Artistic and cultural awareness
I don’t know if it’s a symptom of the modern age, or a peculiarly Australian phenomenon, but the average citizen isn’t very culturally aware.
I like to think that I have a broad general knowledge and a moderate IQ, somewhere between Einstein and George Bush on the scale, but I have to admit that my knowledge is lacking in many areas.
It was Juliet’s turn to visit the dentist today, and while paddling in her root canal, so to speak, he engaged in discourse on classical music. It transpires that his girlfriend plays violin for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He also spoke about a notable pianist, of whom neither of us has ever heard. Read more
The bomber who wasn’t
I was a bit slow reading the Saturday papers this weekend. I didn’t get to them until Sunday.
It was interesting therefore to read the headlines about a terrorist being shot by police in London.
The Australian trumpeted: “Five police bullets end it for London bomber who tried again”.
A day later, I knew while reading it the dead man wasn’t a bomber.
I really expect our media to give closer scrutiny to police and government reports. This is poor reporting.
Web Central Australia
I want to comment here about a company called Web Central and their billing practices. Here’s the background to my story:
1) On March 1, 2004 I purchased and paid for a URL forwarding service from Melbourne IT for www.alpinenews.com.au. The cost was $99, which I now know to be way over the odds. With my own hosting business I offer this service for free.
2) Later that year I changed host and no longer required the URL forward. I actually forgot all about it. Even with hindsight I don’t think that’s an issue, because it was an annual service and I should have expected a renewal notice. Read more
Standing for council election
Readers here are the first to know that I intend to stand for the Alpine Shire Council election in November 2005.
I’ve been thinking about this for several months now, but needed to resolve some employment and family issues before making a declaration.
I’ve established an online Campaign Diary for anyone who’s interested.
My public announcements will be made tomorrow to the media and the Alpine Community Forum.
On a practical note, I would appreciate the support of anyone who feels they might be able to offer it.
Space blogger
I’ve just launched my blog into space on Mind Comet.
This is where blogosphere meets atmosphere: The free service beams web feeds of blogs into deep space via a powerful satellite broadcast.
In my site description I entered: “The daily life and personal opinions of Michael Gorey: A resident of Porepunkah, Victoria, Australia, Earth.”
The Blog in Space service carries a warning: “Bloggers who use this site are urged to keep their blogs devoid of any language, comments or content that might offend, taunt or provoke alien life forms in any way. Let’s not start an intergalactic war :)”
Identity card
I can’t understand the fuss regarding a possible identity card for all Australians. Forget the “war on terror” and think about how practical such a card would be.
Opening a bank account or seeking a credit card is a difficult process that involves digging out birth certificates, licences and various other forms of identification.
We already have a national card system through Medicare, but the card itself is not designed to be conclusive proof of identity. Read more
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